“Nowhere in Pakistan have I witnessed the poverty, which is prevalent in rural Sindh,” Imran told supporters in Sindh’s Sehwan on Sunday evening. “[Asif Ali] Zardari and corruption are two names for the same thing. Today, every year, Pakistan suffers corruption amounting to Rs4,000 billion.”

He added: “Even today, the family of Murtaza Bhutto holds Zardari responsible for his murder.”

Criticising PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto for “creating hurdles for PTI to organise rallies in the province”, Imran asked the former what he was afraid of.

In stern criticism of the PTI chief earlier in the day, Bilawal had called Imran “a clever and wicked man and one who is a liar and an anarchist”. He also termed the cricketer-turned politician’s slogan of change a farce, saying he had failed to implement the oft-quoted change in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said the PTI chief would resort to any tactic to become a prime minister.

“[The] PTI can lend PPP stadiums in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and even provide supporters to them if they are short of them in their rallies,” Imran said, adding that “the people of Sindh need not worry; we will win the next election and empower them and the provincial police, whom they will be able to have faith in.”

On July 28, a five-member of the Supreme Court had disqualified Nawaz from the PM’s office for failing to declare a salary, which he had not withdrawn as an executive of Dubai-based company, as an asset when filing his nomination papers in 2013.